Are you looking for the best free website builder?
Today's mission; review the best Free website builder. Typically, free website builders have some limitations. For example, some companies will offer an SSL, or you can have your own domain, and others only offer sub-domains. Also, some companies will allow you to a build multi-page website while others offer single page sites.
Moreover, the list goes on and on and we will cut through some of the clutter in this review.
I have reviewed the top free web builders on the market. As a result, here is a break down of the TOP 7 builders segmented into 7 categories.
Categories
1. The Best free option unlimited sub-domains
2. The Best free option for ease of use | Best user interface
3. The Best free option if you want an SSL | Websites with an SSL are more secure
4. The Best free option if you want to use a custom domain and not a sub-domain
5. The Best free option if you want to build an online business around your website
6. The Best free option for least expensive upgrades
7. The Best free option for a multi-page website
The list of “Best Of” winners in alphabetical order
Site123
Strikingly
uCraft
Wealthy Affiliate
Weebly
Wix
WordPress
Popular web-builders that you may be surprised didn’t make the list don’t offer FREE web-builders. As a result, a few well-known web companies only offer a limited trial. This review is for FREE website builders 😉
After this review, you should be able to determine the best option for you based on your goals above. One more thing, whichever option best fits your needs, you may also be in need of a FREE Keyword Research Tool.
Here's what you will get from this review
1) The "Best of" winners in their respective categories
2) Price comparison chart if you decide at some point to upgrade
1. Best free option for unlimited sub-domains
Site123 
The best option for unlimited free sub-domains:
It's rare to find a free website builder that offers unlimited free sub-domains but that's what you get with Site123's builder.
Therefore, if you don't need a custom domain but you do need to build a lot of websites then this option will come in real handy.
Also, if you need to set up dev sites for testing, unlimited sub-domains can help you accomplish this without a lot of pain.
Specifications:
Free sub-domain sites you can build: Unlimited
Custom domain: No
Number of custom domain sites after upgrade: 1
ADS: There are ads
Pages per website: 1
SSL: You get a free SSL
Sub-domain example: https://webname.site123.me
Upgrade options: Yes
See the comparison chart below for more specs
Pros
Unlimited sub-domains
The interface is easy to use
Nice selection of templates
Cons
One page website
No custom domain option with the free version
2nd Place
2. Best free option for ease of use | Best user interface
Strikingly
The best option for an easy interface:
The Strikingly interface is extremely easy to understand and navigate from the moment you enter the editor.
If you have never built a website before, this is the product that will quickly get you up and running. For example, your menu options are on the left side and your content options are center-right so everything is at your fingertips. Not to mention, you don't move from page to page, which can be a little more confusing for a newbie.
This interface keeps everything right in front of you on one page so it's easy to connect with the flow of your site.
Also, since this is a one-page website with the free option, it's just going to be easier to build and maintain. For example, just click on the text, picture or layout button and edit. Your website menu buttons are at the top (like most websites) and when a person clicks on the menu button, it quickly scrolls to that part of your website. Consequently, you get the feel of a multi-page website. However, if you decide you're ready for a larger more complicated structure, you can upgrade.
Specifications:
Free sub-domain sites you can build: Unlimited
Custom domain: No
The number of custom domain sites after upgrade: 1
ADS: There are ads
Pages per website: 1
SSL: No
Sub-domain example: http://webname.strikingly.com/
Upgrade options: Yes
See the comparison chart below for more specs
Pros
The interface is easy to use
You can see all of your options on one page
Nice selection of templates
There is a tour button if you need help
Cons
One page website
No SSL
No custom domain option with the free version
2nd Place
3rd Place
3. The best free option if you want an SSL | Websites with an SSL are more secure
Wix
The best option if you want to an SSL with your site:
Wix gives you an SSL certificate in their free website builder platform.
Why should you want an SSL certificate for your site? For example, an SSL certificate keeps your site more secure by encrypting your data. Also, Google might give you a little more SEO love for moving over to HTTPS from HTTP....it is the preferred protocol.
Any new site should be utilizing the HTTPS protocols. You will find an easy to understand interface with nice template options for a multipage free website.
Specifications:
Free sub-domain sites you can build:
Custom domain: No
The number of custom domain sites after upgrade: 1
ADS: There are ads
Pages per website: Multiple
SSL: You get a free SSL
Sub-domain example: http://username.wix.com/webname
Upgrade options: Yes
See the comparison chart below for more specs
Pros
The interface is easy to use
Nice selection of templates
An SSL comes with the free option
Cons
No custom domain option with the free version
The sub-domain structure is awkward with a username and web name
2nd Place
3rd Place
4. Best option if you want to use a custom domain and not a sub-domain
ucraft 
The best option for utilizing a custom domain:
Finding the best free builder that offers a custom domain was easy since the rest of the builders we reviewed only offer the sub-domain.
As a matter of fact, finding a free website builder that offers a custom domain is very unusual because companies usually offer the custom domain option as a carrot to upgrade to one of their paid programs.
I'm not a big fan of the use of sub-domains for a serious website. The reason being, sub-domains are usually for starter websites and if you want to have a real legit site, most people eventually splurge the $10 to $15 dollars for a real top shelf domain.
With that said, ucraft.com gives you the tools to have a legit domain and an SSL with a free web-builder....pretty amazing!
Specifications:
Free sub-domain sites you can build: 1
Custom domain: Yes
The number of custom domain sites after upgrade: 1
ADS: There are ads
Pages per website: multiple
SSL: You get a free SSL
Sub-domain example: https://webname.ucraft.net
Upgrade options: Yes
See the comparison chart below for more specs
Pros
You can add a custom domain
An SSL comes with the free option
Cons
The interface is more complex than other free builders
The other companies don't offer a custom domain with the free option
5. Best free option if you want to build an online business around your website
Wealthy Affiliate
Best option if you want to build a business around your website:
Wealthy Affiliate is the #1 platform for internet entrepreneurs in the world for teaching regular people how to build an online business.
Giving you a free builder is only a tiny part of this free offering. No other website builder comes close to the tools you get with a Wealthy Affiliate free starter membership.
Did I mention, most website builders out there are using "proprietary" software that does not come close to the WordPress framework that allows you to expand your site and easily take your website with you if you move to a different hosting platform.
If you are only interested in building a free website then the Wealthy Affiliate free website builder may be a good option for you. But if you want to get your website to rank with Google, Bing & Yahoo, then the Wealthy Affiliate free web builder along with free keyword research tool and SEO training will set you on a path to success online. But, you will eventually need to upgrade to get into their more advanced training and set up a custom domain.
For example
The Wealthy Affiliate free account not only gives you advanced training for building an online business (free web-builder training, SEO training, social media training, internet marketing training, etc) but it also plugs you into the largest community of online entrepreneurs on the planet. This option will be overkill if all you want to do is build a website and you really don't care about ranking with the search engines.
I say that with a caveat; if you want advanced training on how to build a WordPress.org website that includes managed hosting, then maybe you do want to check it out. But, this option will not give you the quick website that some of the other free web-builders will offer because it encompasses more advanced web building....hence the free training.
The WA option is more geared for people who want to build an online business. You can read a more in-depth review of the WA tools here.
Specifications:
Free sub-domain sites you can build: 2
Custom domain: No
The number of custom domain sites after upgrade: 25
ADS: No
Pages per website: multiple
SSL: You get a free SSL
Sub-domain example: https://webname.siterubix.com/
Upgrade options: Yes
See the comparison chart below for more specifics
Pros
You learn how to build an online business
Beginner and advanced training
Utilizes WordPress.org
Keyword research tool
Community support
Tech support
Cons
It takes more time to produce a website because you're going through training
No custom domain option with the free version
The other companies don't offer a business and training platform
6. Best free option for least expensive upgrades
WordPress
Best option if you are looking to upgrade at the best price:
WordPress.com offers a very reliable platform to build a website at a price that is hard to beat.
You can build a multi-page site with an SSL for free. Not to mention if you need to upgrade, the WordPress.com pricing structure allows you to upgrade at an unbeatable price.
So if you are on a tight budget but you want a managed hosting option that includes one of the most popular web-hosting solutions around, this is a solid solution that you need to look at. And that is why WordPress made our list for the best free builder in its category.
Specifications:
Free sub-domain sites you can build: 1
Custom domain: No
The number of custom domain sites after upgrade: 1
ADS: There are ads
Pages per website: multiple
SSL: You get a free SSL
Sub-domain example: https://webname.wordpress.com/
Upgrade options: Yes
See the comparison chart below for more specs
Pros
Nice selection of templates
An SSL comes with the free option
Very reasonable upgrade pricing
Cons
The interface is not as intuitive as other builders
No custom domain option with the free version
2nd Place
3rd Place
7. Best free option for a multi-page website
Weebly
Best option for a multi-page website:
Weebly brings it all together with a free solution that allows you to build 10 free websites that are in a multi-page format with an SSL (pretty amazing).
The interface is easy to use so coming up to speed does not take that long. You can easily navigate between the pages to edit, making it a breeze to make changes on all your pages in a matter of minutes.
Specifications:
Free sub-domain sites you can build: 10
Custom domain: No
The number of custom domain sites after upgrade: 1
ADS: There are ads
Pages per site: multiple
SSL: You get a free SSL
Sub-domain example: https://webname.weebly.com
Upgrade options: Yes
See the comparison chart below for more specs
Pros
The interface is easy to use
Nice selection of templates
An SSL comes with the free option
Cons
No custom domain option with the free version
2nd Place
3rd Place
Best Free Website Builder Features and Price Comparison Chart if you decide to upgrade.
| Cost of Best Plan | $28.8 mo *A | $49.00 mo *A | $39.00 mo *A | $30.00 mo *A | $38.00 mo *A | $35.00 mo | $25.00 mo *A |
| Free Custom Domain | Yes - 1 | Yes - 1 | Yes -1 | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Storage | 270 GB | Unlimited | Unlimited | 30 GB | Unlimited | 50 GB | Unlimited |
| Data Transfer | 135 GB | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Mail Boxes | 10 free p/ acct | $25.00 yr p/ email | 0 | Unlimited | $50.00 yr p/ email | $50.00 yr p/ email | $50.00 yr p/ email |
| # Custom Domains Sites | 1 | 5 | 1 | 25 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| # of Free Sub-Domains | Unlimited | Unlimited | 1 | 25 | 10 | 1 | 1 |
| Free Website Builder | X | X | X | X | X | X | X |
| Ecommerce | X | X | X | X | X | X | X |
| Site Support | X | X | X | X | X | X | X |
| Live Chat | X | X | X | X | X | X | X |
| Free Keyword Research Tool | X | ||||||
| Training Platform w/ Live Training | X | ||||||
| SEO Training | X | ||||||
| Social Media Training | X | ||||||
| Online Marketing Training | X | ||||||
| Site Content Curator | X | ||||||
| *A = if paid annually |
This info is worth everyone’s attention. How can I find out more?
Dustin, since you are trying Site123, I would suggest you try the other free site builders by clicking on the Create you Free Account button and do a side by side comparison.
You are so awesome! I don’t believe I have read through anything like this before. So good to discover another person with a few original thoughts on this topic.
Really.. many thanks for starting this up. This web site is something that’s needed on the internet, someone with some originality!
Thanks Ulrich, your feedback is much appreciated!
I absolutely love your website.. Excellent colors & theme.
Did you make this web site yourself? Please reply back as I’m wanting to create my very own blog and would love
to know where you got this from or what the theme is called.
Appreciate it!
Glad you like it. The theme is called Beaver Builder. They also have a page builder by the same name 🙂
I enjoy, lead to I discovered exactly what I used to be taking a look for. You’ve ended my four day long hunt! God Bless you man. Have a nice day. Bye
Glad to hear it!!